The comparison of sample extraction procedures for the determination of cations in soil by IC and ICP-AES

This paper presents the extraction of cations from a soil sample, type ranker on serpentinite, in deionized water, by use of three different extraction techniques. The first extraction technique included the use of a rotary mixer, the second technique involved the use of a microwave digestion system with different extraction temperatures, and the third technique employed an ultrasonic bath with different extraction times. Ion chromatography was used for determining the concentration of Li, Na, K, Ca, Mg and ammonium ions in soil extracts with subsequent determination of concentrations for all cations, except for ammonium ion extraction, conducted by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry. The results of cation extractions showed that microwave assisted extraction was most efficient for the Li, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Co, Mn, Ni, Pb and ammonium ions. Use of a rotary mixer for extraction was most efficient for Cd and Zn ions, while use of ultrasound bath was most efficient for Cr, Cu, Fe and Al ions. Several times higher amount of cations extracted by the most efficient, compared to the second best technique, under optimal conditions, were noticed in the case of: Ca, Mg, Co, Mn, Fe, Al, and Zn ions.